Badge holder



Mamh 1956 A. NAFFIN 3, 37,

BADGE HOLDER Filed Jan. 24, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 E 1 i I 1 Um 5 h 2- E 1- INVENT OR ALFRED NAFFIN ATTORNEY March 1, 1966 A. NAFFIN BADGE HOLDER JZTGCZ 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 1 .6.

ALFRED NAFFIN Filed Jan. 24, 1964 IZ& 6.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,237,326 BADGE HOLDER Alfred Naflin, 739 Grandview, Covina, Calif. Filed Jan. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 340,029 3 Claims. (Cl. 40-15) This invention relates to a badge and particularly pertains to an attachment for application to a badge to serve as a holder whereby the badge may be readily applied to and worn on an article of apparel such as a coat, jacket, shirt, waist, belt, suspenders, etc.

Badges of the type to which the invention is applicable are worn by workers and employees in manufacturing plants, shipyards, government buildings and the like, as a means of identification. Such badges bear indicia by which the wearer is identified, such as the name, or photograph or both of the person or a number, letter or other symbol assigned to the individual.

An object of the invention is to provide a mounting for a badge which may be easily and quickly applied to an article of apparel and when applied be securely held in place against accidental removal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a badge with a pivotally mounted clip which may be positioned for engagement to the margin of an article whether such margin extends horizontally, vertically or at an inclination and yet display the badge in an upright position.

Another object is to provide a clasp which may be formed unitarily from sheet metal such as steel, and to provide means for pivotally mounting a badge thereon.

A further object is to provide a badge holding clasp which may be either permanently or temporarily attached to a badge.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the back of a fragmentary portion of a badge showing the clasp as permanently attached thereto:

FIG. 2 is a view in section taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1:

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the badge as applied and depicting in dotted lines the badge as positioned preliminary to disengaging the clasp:

FIG. 4 is a view in elevation showing the badge as mounted on a horizontal margin:

FIG. 5 is a view in elevation showing the badge as mounted on a vertical margin:

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the back of a fragmentary portion of a badge showing it as equipped with a base plate for detachably receiving the clasp:

FIG. 7 is a view in section as seen on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6:

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the clasp as modified for demountable attachment to the base plate shown in FIGS. 6 and 7:

FIG. 9 is a diagram in elevation depicting the manner of applying the clasp to the badge:

FIG. 10 is a view in vertical section showing the clasp of FIG. 6 as applied:

FIG. 11 is an enlarged detail in section taken on the line 11-11 of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 12 is an enlarged section and plan as seen on the line 12-12 of FIG. 10.

Referring to the drawings more specifically A indicates a badge comprising a flat sheet of any suitable material and which may be of any desired contour. B designates generally a clip which is pivotally mounted on the back of the badge A and is adapted to be detachably engaged with an article of apparel worn by a person to display the front of the badge which may bear any desired indicia, such as the name of a person, an identification number, a symbol and the like.

3,237,326 Patented Mar. 1, 1966 ice The clip B is formed of a strip or ribbon of thin sheet steel and comprises an elongate back member 15 one end of which is turned outwardly and returned upon itself to provide a hook 16 terminating in a lip 17 spaced from the back member 15. The hook 16 is designed to be positioned astride a margin or fold of an article of apparel C with the lip 17 serving as a fixed jaw member.

The other end of the back member 15 is turned on a curve and returned upon itself to provide an elongate spring tongue 18 the outer end of which is turned outward and terminates in the hook 16; the tongue being tensioned so that its terminal will bear under yieldable pressure against the inner side of the lip 17 and act as a moveable jaw member. The lip 17 and tongue 18 thus co-operate to grip sheet material C interposed therebetween.

The clip element B is characterized by being formed in its entirety unitarily of a single piece of sheet metal.

In some instances it is desirable to permanently attach the clip element to the badge A while in others it is preferably detachably secured thereto so that it may be removed therefrom, as where the badge is to be inserted in the narrow slots of recording machines.

FIGS. 1 to 5 inclusive show the clip B as permanently attached to the badge A. For this purpose, the end of the clip bearing the hook 16 has a tongue 19 struck therefrom which tongue extends longitudinally in continuation of the back member 15 on a plane therewith, and together with the back member is imposed flatwise on the back face of the badge A and is pivotally connected thereto by a riveted eyelet 20, as particularly shown in FIG. 2. When thus applied, the clip B may be extended vertically of the badge for engagement with a horizontal support such as the margin of a pocket or belt, or it may be positioned to extend laterally of the badge for engagement with a vertical margin, such as the edge of a shirt waist, jacket, suspenders, fold in a garment and the like.

Where the clip B is to be detachably mounted on the badge A the construction shown in FIGS. 6 to 12 is employed. In this instance the badge is equipped on the back thereof with an elongate thin flat plate D seated flatwise on the badge and pivotally connected thereto at one end of the plate D by a riveted eyelet 21 whereby the plate D may be swung to extend in any direction on a plane with the back of the badge.

The plate D is provided with a guideway 22 for slidably receiving the back member 15 of the clip B in longitudinal detachable engagement therewith. As here shown a pair of such guideways is provided which are spaced apart in alignment longitudinally of the plate D. Each of the guideways comprise a pair of spaced parallel flanges a-a projecting from the outer face of the plate and extending lengthwise thereof and preferably struck therefrom, which flanges have inturned outer margins b-b the adjacent edges of which are parallel and spaced from each other.

In order to enable insertion of the back member 15 of the clip B into the guideways 22 the opposite margins of the return bend at the base of the tongue 18 are cut away as indicated at 23, and as a means for detachably holding the clip B against accidental disengagement from the plate D the back member 15 of the clip is formed with a nodule 24 which is arranged to snap into the eyelet 21 when the clip is in its seated assembled posiltion on the plate D.

In applying the badge A the lip 17 of the hook 16 is passed over the margin of the article C and the clip B advanced so that such margin will depress the tongue 18 and pass between the outer end of the tongue and the lip 17. The material of the article C will be firmly gripped by the clip so as to securely hold the badge in place. The outer end of the tongue 18 being impressed against the surface of the article C under the pressure of the tensioned tongue 18 Will resist longitudinal Withdrawal of the clip out of engagement with the article'C.

When it is desired to detach the badge from the article C it is necessary to depress the tongue 18 to Withdraw its outer end out of engagement with the article C. This is accomplished by swinging the badge outward as indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 3, whereupon the badge and clip may be gripped between the fingers so as to depress the tongue and thereby free it from the article C so that the badge may then be readily removed.

Where the clip B is mounted on the badge A as shown in FIG. it may be disengaged therefrom by springing the outer end of the back member of the clip outward to withdraw the nodule 24 from the eyelet 21 whereupon the clip may be withdrawn from the guideways 22. The badge is then free of projections Which would interfere with its insertion in the slots of recording machines and the like; the plate D being of negligible thickness and ofiers no appreciable obstruction.

I claim:

1. A badge holder comprising a clip embodying an elongate strip of thin sheet metal constituting a back member, one end of said strip being returned upon itself to produce a hook for positioning astride a support and terminating in a lip spaced relative to said back member, the other end of said strip being returned upon itself to provide an elongate spring tongue the outer end of which extends into said hook and bears under tension against the inner side of said lip, said tongue and lip constituting co-operating jaws for gripping material interposed therebetween, a lug struck from the hook portion of said strip extending in continuation of said back member on a plane therewith and an eyelet extending through said lug for pivotally connecting said clip to a badge.

2. In a badge, an elongate plate pivotally mounted adjacent an end thereof on said badge, a channel guideway on said plate a clip embodying an elongate back Wall slidably engageable in said guideway, a support engaging hook at one end of said back wall and a spring tongue leading from the outer end thereof extending into said hook, and means detachably inter-connecting said clip and plate to hold said clip against accidental detachment from said plate.

3. In a badge, an elongate plate, riveted eyelet pivotally connecting said plate to said badge, a guideway on said plate, a clip embodying a backway slidably engageable in said guideway, and a nodule on said clip detachably engageable in said eyelet inter-connecting said clip and plate to hold said clip against accidental detachment from said plate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITEDv STATES PATENTS 1,439,138 12/1922 White 2466 1,778,691 10/1930 Schwartzman 26 3,054,201 9/1962 Burns 40l.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 223,182 11/1942 Switzerland.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

W. J. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BADGE HOLDER COMPRISING A CLIP EMBODYING AN ELONGATE STRIP OF THIN SHEET METAL CONSTITUTING A BACK MEMBER, ONE END OF SAID STRIP BEING TURNED UPON ITSELF TO PRODUCE A HOOK FOR POSITIONING ASTRIDE A SUPPORT AND TERMINATING IN A LIP SPACED RELATIVE TO SAID BACK MEMBER, THE OTHER END OF SAID STRIP BEING RETURNED UPON ITSELF TO PROVIDE AN ELONGATE SPRING TONGUE THE OUTER END OF WHICH EXTENDS INTO SAID HOOK AND BEARS UNDER TENSION AGAINST THE INNER SIDE OF SAID LIP, SAID TONGUE AND LIP CONSTITUTING CO-OPERATING JAWS FOR GRIPPING MATERIAL INTERPOSED THEREBETWEEN, A LUG STRUCK FROM THE HOOK PORTION OF SAID STRIP EXTENDING IN CONTINUATION OF SAID BACK MEMBER ON A PLANE THEREWITH AND AN EYELET EXTENDING THROUGH SAID LUG FOR PIVOTALLY CONNECTING SAID CLIP TO A BADGE. 